[QuickSilver]

Okay, I am going to bring up the lease thing again, from a slightly different angle. I've lived in apartments in New York and San Francisco. In New York, I lived in buildings that didn't allow pets, but in at least one of them, more than half of the tenants had pets. So I am not going to say, you get a yorkie, it lets out one yelp, and you will be out on the street.

If you happened to know someone personally who was having a litter of puppies, that would be one thing. I can envision someone owning a dog in a wink-wink, pet-free building. In fact, the woman who owned my dog before me said that she snuck him in and out of some pet-free apartments.

HOWEVER, I also volunteer at a shelter in San Fran, and I know for a fact that shelters in this city REQUIRE a letter from your landlord stating that pets are allowed. You telling them that it's fine because the landlord will turn a blind eye will not cut it. And I can't imagine your landlord writing a letter that says, "We don't allow pets officially, but secretly we do, so please feel free to give our tenant a dog."

Fair or not, I think you will have trouble getting a dog from a good breeder simply because you are a college student and they will probably assume some of the things that people have already mentioned. You will already have some strikes against you being young, in school, and a relaxed attitude towards rules.

Actually, as I'm typing this, I'm thinking that maybe your parents should just get the dog, and then give it to you. They are probably much more attractive candidates for dog ownership. Obviously this is dishonest, so you'll have to consider if you are comfortable with that.

I also wouldn't discount what everyone else is saying. It's unlikely that the second you get your puppy that it will have massive health problems, be untrainable, and get you blacklisted from all apartments in your area. But you need to take some reasonable precautions to assume that it's not going to go perfectly.

Again, I suggest going to a shelter and volunteering to get more experience with dogs. If this is something that you really want to do, taking another six months to prepare won't hurt you. You can also use that time to research a breeder, maybe get on a waiting list with her, and figure out how to deal with the living situation.

You could also simply ask your neighbors if they would mind having dog living under them. Maybe they wouldn't care at all. Consider though, what if they move out and you don't get along with the next tenants? I think other posters are right that while the landlord may be "cool", they are legally obligated to deal with complaints regarding lease violations. I don't think they would have any trouble demanding you give up the dog. You will need to stay on very good terms with everyone who knows about your secret dog.

If you really want this dog, why not just find some housing where small dogs are allowed? That would certainly demonstrate some commitment.

I am not saying you shouldn't get a dog, please just think about these things seriously and if/how you could handle them. Don't just brush these warnings off as excessively cautious.

Again, good luck to you.